Monitoring Zooplankton Communities to Inform Offshore Wind Energy Development in the Gulf of Maine
Document Type
Event
Faculty Mentor
Rachel Lasley-Rasher
Abstract
The Gulf of Maine is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the global ocean and supports numerous ecological and economically important species, including the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. As offshore wind energy development expands in this region, understanding how turbine installation and operation may influence marine ecosystems is increasingly important. Changes in ocean circulation, turbulence, and underwater noise associated with offshore wind infrastructure may alter plankton dynamics, potentially affecting the base of the marine food web. Because zooplankton play a critical role in transferring energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels, shifts in their abundance or distribution could have significant ecological effects. This research focuses on monitoring zooplankton community composition and abundance near a proposed offshore wind research area in the Gulf of Maine. Zooplankton samples have been collected monthly along with physical habitat variables such as temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen since the fall of 2023. My role in this larger, ongoing project is to identify and enumerate zooplankton taxa with a focus on the copepod species Calanus finmarchicus,a primary prey species for North Atlantic Right whales. By analyzing spatial and temporal patterns in zooplankton abundance and community structure, we aim to establish a baseline dataset describing natural variability in zooplankton population prior to offshore wind turbine construction.
Monitoring Zooplankton Communities to Inform Offshore Wind Energy Development in the Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the global ocean and supports numerous ecological and economically important species, including the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. As offshore wind energy development expands in this region, understanding how turbine installation and operation may influence marine ecosystems is increasingly important. Changes in ocean circulation, turbulence, and underwater noise associated with offshore wind infrastructure may alter plankton dynamics, potentially affecting the base of the marine food web. Because zooplankton play a critical role in transferring energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels, shifts in their abundance or distribution could have significant ecological effects. This research focuses on monitoring zooplankton community composition and abundance near a proposed offshore wind research area in the Gulf of Maine. Zooplankton samples have been collected monthly along with physical habitat variables such as temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen since the fall of 2023. My role in this larger, ongoing project is to identify and enumerate zooplankton taxa with a focus on the copepod species Calanus finmarchicus,a primary prey species for North Atlantic Right whales. By analyzing spatial and temporal patterns in zooplankton abundance and community structure, we aim to establish a baseline dataset describing natural variability in zooplankton population prior to offshore wind turbine construction.
